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Author Topic: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US  (Read 6992 times)

bedlamite

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #150 on: February 12, 2023, 12:11:59 AM »
Quote from: Jim147 on February 11, 2023, 11:40:14 PM
All of my Mil and GOV contacts have retired so I can't get any info. Is this all distraction or something to worry about?

It's always a distraction, even when it's something to worry about.
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Northwoods

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #151 on: February 12, 2023, 01:25:23 AM »
Quote from: Jim147 on February 11, 2023, 11:40:14 PM
All of my Mil and GOV contacts have retired so I can't get any info. Is this all distraction or something to worry about?

Yes.
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MechAg94

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #152 on: February 12, 2023, 02:35:19 AM »
Quote from: bedlamite on February 12, 2023, 12:11:59 AM
It's always a distraction, even when it's something to worry about.
I heard someone mention a train derailment in Ohio. 
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Ben

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #153 on: February 12, 2023, 07:54:08 AM »
Interesting that the third "object" could be shot down over land with a 9X without any "but people!" stuff.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pentagon-says-us-detected-third-flying-object-alaska-day-shooting-canada
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RocketMan

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #154 on: February 12, 2023, 08:17:59 AM »
Quote from: Ben on February 12, 2023, 07:54:08 AM
Interesting that the third "object" could be shot down over land with a 9X without any "but people!" stuff.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pentagon-says-us-detected-third-flying-object-alaska-day-shooting-canada

Canada is obviously not as worried about their citizens subjects as we are about ours.
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Ron

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #155 on: February 12, 2023, 08:36:06 AM »
Quote from: RocketMan on February 12, 2023, 08:17:59 AM
Canada is obviously not as worried about their citizens subjects as we are about ours.
Accidently taking out some useless eaters might be considered a bonus benefit.
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WLJ

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #156 on: February 12, 2023, 08:45:51 AM »
Could be Canadians aren't as sue happy as Americans
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cordex

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #157 on: February 12, 2023, 08:57:13 AM »
Canada is mostly unoccupied.
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Ron

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #158 on: February 12, 2023, 10:33:35 AM »
Quote from: cordex on February 12, 2023, 08:57:13 AM
Canada is mostly unoccupied.
An overwhelming majority of Canadiens live within 100 miles of our border.
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For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse. Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

Ben

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #159 on: February 12, 2023, 10:50:09 AM »
Quote from: Ron on February 12, 2023, 10:33:35 AM
An overwhelming majority of Canadiens live within 100 miles of our border.

If you look at the googles maps, there's a pretty good correlation within 50ish miles of the border from Washington to at least North Dakota: Wherever we have a population center (large or small) so does Canada, and wherever Canada has empty lands and no roads, so do we. Depending on where in Montana they would have shot the first balloon down, they would probably have had less chance of hitting a human structure than they would have hitting a boat off South Carolina.  =D
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bedlamite

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #160 on: February 12, 2023, 04:52:25 PM »
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RoadKingLarry

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #161 on: February 12, 2023, 07:38:39 PM »
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Ben

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #162 on: February 12, 2023, 08:33:03 PM »
At this point they've got to be shooting down actual civilian weather balloons or else elaborate youtube prank balloons. Come on, man.
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RocketMan

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #163 on: February 12, 2023, 08:47:45 PM »
It's swamp gas, I tell ya'!  Swamp gas!
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If there really was intelligent life on other planets, we'd be sending them foreign aid.

Conservatives see George Orwell's "1984" as a cautionary tale.  Progressives view it as a "how to" manual.

My wife often says to me, "You are evil and must be destroyed." She may be right.

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Hawkmoon

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #164 on: February 12, 2023, 09:27:47 PM »
Quote from: RocketMan on February 12, 2023, 08:47:45 PM
It's swamp gas, I tell ya'!  Swamp gas!

Project Bluebook.
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MechAg94

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #165 on: February 12, 2023, 10:16:28 PM »
I saw an excerpt earlier of some unnamed source talking about the military had adjusted their radar software .  Supposedly the system was set up to kick out contacts that were moving too slow.  Might have been more to it.  I don't know anything about modern radar systems.  The idea that someone was trying to find ways to penetrate US air defense system isn't too far fetched. 
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WLJ

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #166 on: February 12, 2023, 10:37:44 PM »
In other news: The Gondax Galactic Empire has ordered the glassing of earth after it's emissary bearing gifts of infinite energy and wealth, and eternal life to the the people of earth was shot down by earth forces. They had hoped that by coming in a ship made to look like the intergalactic symbol of peace, a balloon, it would be greeted warmly, they were wrong.
« Last Edit: February 13, 2023, 09:00:43 AM by WLJ »
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Jim147

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #167 on: February 12, 2023, 10:43:46 PM »
I thought it was the Vogons and told everyone to grab a towel.
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WLJ

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #168 on: February 12, 2023, 10:50:25 PM »
Quote from: Jim147 on February 12, 2023, 10:43:46 PM
I thought it was the Vogons and told everyone to grab a towel.

Given a choice between listening to Vogon poetry and glassing I'll take the glassing.
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WLJ

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #169 on: February 13, 2023, 09:26:54 AM »
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Ben

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #170 on: February 13, 2023, 09:31:19 AM »
Quote from: WLJ on February 12, 2023, 10:50:25 PM
Given a choice between listening to Vogon poetry and glassing I'll take the glassing.

Is that better or worse than Klingon Opera?
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T.O.M.

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #171 on: February 13, 2023, 10:25:44 AM »
Talked to a buddy who is a retired F-16 driver.  First, he's wondering why he didn't get a chance to do some fighter skeet shooting.  Then, when the jokes died down, he expressed concerns about someone...and he mentioned the North Koerans, using balloons to fly an EMP weapon/device over here and cause havoc in a major metro area, if not a larger area given how the electric distribution network is so intertwined in CONUS.

Check your supplies, kids.  And maybe watch that movie American Blackout that National Geographic put out in 2013.
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MechAg94

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #172 on: February 13, 2023, 10:56:06 AM »
That does make me curious how well our air search radar detects balloons whether at high altitude or not.  And how good our detection coverage actually is.

As I mentioned above, I saw someone mention that our systems were filtering out stuff the may have included these balloons and we had to make adjustments to stop that.
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WLJ

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #173 on: February 13, 2023, 10:57:59 AM »
I'm thinking they just don't want to admit they've been letting these things float around unhindered for years.
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ConstitutionCowboy

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Re: Pentagon decides not to shoot down Chinese spy balloon over US
« Reply #174 on: February 13, 2023, 11:02:59 AM »
Here's a thought: What if the big balloon was a delivery 'mother ship" and it dropped off those three other UFO's? Inquiring conspiracy theorists want to know.

Woody
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